Running Away
by LuSo
Summary: Affinity goes a little differently and Jack is tired of putting up with his problems and decides to run from them instead. Will Running away work? Sam/ Jack
1. Chapter 1

Title: Running away

Author: Luso

Spoilers; into the fire, Divide and Conquer, Entity, Affinity, Endgame, Covenant and Avatar. Don't blame me; you've been warned, sorry if there's anymore.

Summary: Affinity goes a little differently and Jack is tired of putting up with his problems and decides to run from them instead. Will Running away work?

Season: 8

Rating: T for now, but it might change to M later.

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Disclaimer: Not mine (Unfortunately), but if they were I think I would be too nervous and excited to say anything coherent

Chapter 1

God this was hard. Jack O'Neill sat on his couch staring blankly at the TV. Currently showing his beloved hockey game. Today had quite possibly been one of the worst days he had had in a very long time, and that was quite a big statement, what with the constant impending doom that always seemed to be heading his way.

He was too old for this. His old bettered heart couldn't take any more pain, that was part of why he had become general, he thought it would be easier not being out there witnessing the deaths of good men and women first hand. Boy was he wrong, if anything it was worse. Instead he was stuck behind a desk at least 100 hours a week, helpless to do anything to stop it. Just last week he had almost lost Teal'c, and only saved him by risking Daniel too when they got stuck in that stupid simulation doohickey Lee and his team of eggheads had come up with.

He was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts when the light of a passing car illuminated his lounge. He glanced out the window and took in the sheets of rain that were pouring down. "Matches my radiant mood perfectly then, doesn't it." He mused aloud, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Taking a long swig of his beer he turned back to the TV and switched it off, not particularly bothered about the game at all, deciding instead to call it a night and just pray that sleep would bring unconsciousness and no dreaded thoughts of the fact that Samantha Carter had accepted Pete's proposal today. Had he mentioned how hard this was?

As he picked up the abundance of empty beer bottles off of his coffee table he stumbled toward the kitchen, before returning to the lounge and putting away the bottle off Southern Comfort, having decided against taking it to bed with him. He was already pretty sure he was going to have a raw hangover tomorrow and was thoroughly looking forward to his oh so enjoyable little meeting with Walter tomorrow morning. Seriously though, why did the guy just stand there and wait for him outside the elevator, didn't he have anything better to do?

As he was closing the cabinet door, the light reflected off the shiny surface and he was once more brutally reminded of the glinting diamond in the engagement ring that now adorned Sam's delicate ring finger. The ring that wasn't his, his was probably dusty by now. Why did it hurt so much? It was a stupid idea in the first place, he should never have bought her a ring, what did he think would happen? It was just a spur of the moment compulsion he had had after that stupid alien entity thingy had taken control of her body. God, he hadn't been that scared since Charlie had died. And what was worse was the fact that he had actually killed her. He remembered that day so well; he had been overcome with relief when she had taken that first breath. He had hated seeing her plugged up to that machine that had breathed for her, apart from the fact that it had kept her alive, her body at least. He shuddered remembering how still she had been.

Clambering up the few steps in the hallway he stumbled down the hall before haphazardly stripping down to his boxers and climbing under the covers. He had tossed and turned for a while before finally accepting his dull fate, as his mind was too busy whirring with his thoughts. He had hoped that the alcohol would make him forget, at least temporarily.

He had wanted so badly to reach out and take her hand, to reassure himself that she was really there and alive and ok, he would have done too if he hadn't have seen Hammond standing there eyeing him warily. They had been given a weeks downtime and as soon as he had left the mountain the next day having dropped Carter back at her place and sharing a rather incredible hug, he had set out to buy a ring. Now he thought about it, it was probably the dangerous combination of being surrounded by her scent after being so close to losing her, oh yeah and the fact that he is deeply in love with her and had been since that stupid Hathor incident when she had almost had the life sucked out of her by that stupid ribbon device. God, it hadn't been nice to wake up and see that, he had just pushed Hathor into that Ice tank thing and pulled Sam into his arms.

That was a sobering thought, it wasn't very often he allowed himself to admit his feelings for Sam, pointless now though. I guess now he just needed her to be happy, that was the best thing he could hope for. It didn't make it any easier though, he had known she had been seeing the guy for quite a while, he just hadn't thought they were that serious. Mind you, it's not like they ever really talked about their personal lives. He thought they had drifted apart after the whole zatarc situation had forced them to admit their feelings, but now it was worse. Every time they were in a room and didn't have something work related to talk about the atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable, he never just visited her lab for small talk anymore and he missed it. He missed her.

He rolled over and looked at the clock illuminated on his bedside, cringing at the "03:47" taunting his tired and weary brain, he had to be at the mountain for 06:00. Too sick and tired to fight anymore, he resigned himself to the fact that there was no longer any hope of Samantha Carter ever being more than his second in command. Then and there he decided he would just have to be satisfied that he'd see her everyday, he'd do his best to keep her safe as long as he was the commander of the SGC and finally he succumbed to a restless slumber.

Feedback please, this is my first ever FanFic so let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nope, still hadn't gotten better. He had tried he really had, it had been three weeks since she had gotten engaged and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help feeling utter disappointment and deep Sadness. She had always lit up his life; she seemed to make everything brighter from his point of view, just by being there. But now it was different, because now he knew that she could never be his, she was engaged to another man, where as before, now matter how small, there was always the possibility that they could be together once the regs weren't an issue. God, he really needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and just accept it.

He had woken up after his evening in with southern comfort and Guinness and as expected had a wonderful hangover that made his brain feel to big for his skull. But just to put the icing on the cake he was greeted by Walter outside the elevator, surprise surprise, who had finally managed to stutter out the news that Alec Colson, an old friend of Sam's, was threatening to expose the program. He had snapped Walters head off, before stomping up the stairs towards his office, only to be greeted by his old team, including his lost love, and had thrown around a few orders for Carter and Daniel to 'Fix it', before shutting himself away in his office for the day, hiding in paperwork. That is until the Joint Chiefs agreed with Carter's not-so-bright idea to show Colson the Alpha site, and then the shit really did hit the fan.

That had been two weeks ago and now he lay in bed staring up at his ceiling, waiting for the blessed unconsciousness of sleep to come. This time though he wasn't intoxicated. Today had just been another example of the unwanted stress and pressure that came with his duty as head of the SGC. The Jaffa had been dropping like flies and later intelligence suggested that it had something to do with the rogue NID when the Stargate had literally vanished, so Carter and Daniel had investigated Osiris' beaming device whilst Teal'c went and accused the Tokra. They had finally got the answers out of Bricksdale and Daniel had beamed up to Osiris' ship where Sam was being held, and had disabled the cloaking device so that the Prometheus could find them. Which you would think was a good thing, that was until Daniel was tied up too and they began to power up the hyper drive attempting to run, and so Jack had been left with the impossible decision of firing on the ship and ensuring that no more Jaffa were killed by the symbiote poison, but only at the cost of losing Daniel and Sam. Thankfully Teal'c had arrived just in time and the Prometheus had managed to beam them all aboard, including the Stargate.

As he reflected on the day's decisions and the constant drama in his life, he came to a decision. As much as he loved all of SG1 and as much as he would miss them, he just couldn't stay there anymore. He had thought it would be ok to just see Sam everyday and be near her, but after the past few weeks events he wasn't so sure. He loved her so much and after being so close to losing her today, he was starting to consider the possibility that he would be better off not seeing her, not being constantly reminded that she could never be his He could just live the rest of his life out at his cabin with his memories, his pond with no pesky fish in it and maybe he could get a dog?

God, he sounded pathetic, but the more he thought about it the more he was sure that a new life would be better than his heart constricting in pain and loss every time he saw the glint of the ring, that wasn't his, on her delicate ring finger. Having given up on sleep entirely he flipped open the bed covers and stood, ticking off a mental checklist as he gathered the necessities he would need, and threw them into his duffle bag, so he would be ready to leave when he handed in his retirement, affective immediately. It was already 04:30 and it would be 05:00 by the time he got to the base, he just hoped he didn't run into Carter or Daniel, assuming that they wouldn't have left the base mid-week, probably having never gone to sleep. Carter would have been playing with doohickys whilst Daniel translated his rocks and Teal'c enjoyed the surrealism of dreams that came with using tretonin. That made him grin. He would miss them all so much, but it just didn't seem as if he had a choice, his life had lost the spark and energy that was once there, when he had lost Sam.

He threw on a pair of jeans, a simple t-shirt and his leather Jacket, before picking up his bag and keys and actually locking the door to his house, before throwing his bag on the passenger seat and heading to the base. He would take care of the house later, for now he just wanted to get away and try and make a new start.

He arrived at the base and went through the usual routine of signing in at the surface before heading straight down to the locker room on level twenty-six, taking his duffle bag with him so that he could collect the last of his personal belongings. After doing that he picked up the red phone on his desk and rang the president to inform him of his decision, making it up abundantly clear that affective immediately was his definite intention. Now that had been done he picked up the grey phone and listened to the ringing tone hoping that this dreaded conversation would go a little better than the last;

"Hammond" replied a sleepy voice on the opposite end of the line.

"Hi George, it's Jack, sorry about the hour." Jack apologised.

"It's no problem son I was about to wake up anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Look you know I'm not one for small talk…" Jack began.

"Get to the point Jack" Hammond said, this time with a hint of authority entering his tone of voice.

"I've retired" he said bluntly, but quickly continued before Hammond could get a word in. "And yes it's for good this time. Listen I have my reasons, but I need you to do something for me ok?"

"Of course, how can I help, it's not time to buy back your soul is it?" Hammond joked lightly.

Jack was taken aback by that response to say the least. Truth was Hammond had a fare idea about Jack's reasons for retiring, he had heard about Sam's engagement to the cop. It seemed the SGC grapevine could reach DC too. He just hoped that things would get resolved and everyone could be happy. "I need you to run the SGC for a while until a new general is appointed, I'm sorry to drop this on you, but my decisions made and I 'm heading back to Minnesota as soon as I 'm off the phone with you."

"Ok Jack, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for. I hope I get to see you again"

"Yeah, you too" Jack replied, before hanging up the phone.

He heaved a deep sigh and took one last look around his now former office before grabbing the duffle and heading down to the control room to tell the skeleton crew that he was off and that someone would be in later to take his place. He took the stairs two at a time, leaving a room full of confused faces behind as he headed towards the elevator for his last trip out of Cheyenne mountain. The doors opened and he visibly flinched as Carter came around the corner.

"Sir" she greeted cheerfully, as she stepped into the elevator with him and they began the journey to the surface.

"Carter" he replied with very little enthusiasm what so ever. "Why are you so chirpy this morning?"

"One of my experiments has been bothering me for a while and I managed to figure it out"

"Let me guess. All nighter?" He didn't actually need an answer, he could tell just from the blush that suffused her cheeks that he was right.

"Going somewhere, sir?" Sam enquired glancing at the duffle bag he was carrying, hoping to change the subject, as they stepped out of the elevator. She informed the airman that she would be back in a minute, whilst Jack signed out, unbeknownst to Sam that it would probably be the last time.

For a split second he looked confused before realisation dawned and he nodded, replying softly "Fishing Carter, fishing." Gazing at her intensely, he seemed to take all of her in at once, loving the sun dress that accentuated her curves and the blue flowers that matched her eyes perfectly. He assumed she must be spending the day with Pete but decided not to dwell on that as he turned at the gate and headed towards his truck.

"Have fun, Sir" Sam said before climbing into her Volvo, to meet up with Pete for their day out.


	3. Chapter 3

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

When Sam returned after her lunch out with Pete, she stepped off the elevator to find Daniel in a state of complete panic; she was actually quite worried that he was going to start hyperventilating. She had texted him from her cell phone on her way back to base to tell him that she was on her way, they were going to be working on a new piece of technology SG-5 had brought back. This stuttering headless chicken in the form of Daniel was the last greeting she had expected.

"Sam…he's gone…I…he just left…resigned…called the president…he's gone…retired."

As soon as Sam heard "president" her blood ran cold and she took a deep breath before turning towards the not-so-stoic presence of Teal'c, his expression now one of deep concern.

"Do you want to clear things up for me here Teal'c?" The shakiness in her voice betrayed her miserable attempt at non-chalance. Having given up on Daniel completely by this point, which was now pacing back and forth ranting incoherently, she fixed Teal'c with an intense gaze awaiting his response.

"It is true Colonel Carter, O'Neill has resigned his duty to the United States Air Force"

She simply stood in shocked silence, staring off into space for several long moments trying to let this new and completely unexpected revelation sink in.

"Why?" seemed to be all she could manage in a still somewhat shaky voice, no louder than a whisper as she looked up, only to find herself sat on a bed in the infirmary. Daniel and Teal'c stood by her side as the new base CMO that had replaced Janet explained what had happened. Sam however, wasn't really listening, all she heard was "blackout" and that seemed to explain everything. She looked up and only managed to nod in acknowledgement that she had heard what had been said, before turning to Daniel and Teal'c.

"I'm going home." She stated softly and turned to leave the infirmary only to stop again after several steps as Daniel gently grabbed her arm.

"I'll take you, you're in no state to drive." He stated with a sad smile, leaving no room for argument. His concern for the closest person he had to a sister had evidently broken his 'panic mode'.

"I will accompany you." Teal'c informed them as the trio headed out of the infirmary. Sam slumped down on a bench and buried her head in her hands, whilst Daniel put the personal belongings from her locker in a bag.

"Are you alright Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked softly as he took a seat beside her on the bench, concern evident in his voice.

She looked up to meet his intense gaze, a mixture of anger, confusion and deep sadness shining from her tear filled eyes. "No. No I'm not…How cou…" she stopped and tried to swallow the lump in her throat, fighting back the tears that were trying to break free, scrubbing at her cheek fiercely as one escaped. "How could he just up and leave…without even telling any of us?" She broke off as the tears fell and the lump in her throat became too hard to talk around, wrapping her arms around Tealc's solid form desperately in need of comfort, although she'd never admit it out loud. Teal'c willingly returned the gesture and simply held her until the tears had subsided enough for her to continue. "Why…why has he just gone and walked out of my, our lives?" She continued, hoping that Daniel and Teal'c would ignore her little slip up. She stood abruptly as another thought occurred to her, startling Daniel and Teal'c in the process. "Who's replaced him?"

It was Daniel's turn to respond this time "Hammond" he said proudly, smiling slightly.

Sam smiled back heaving a silent sigh of relief "well at least there's that" she retorted, the words having clearly fallen unchecked from her mouth, as realisation clearly dawned a spilt second later that she sounded exactly like Jack O'Neill. "Urrggh" she groaned in frustration as she left the locker room, quickly making sure her eyes weren't too red and puffy from the tears she had cried. After grabbing his keys Daniel and Teal'c quickly followed, finding her just outside the elevator as it arrived. They stepped inside and made their way up to the surface in a companionable silence, each of them alone with their thoughts after the unexpected events of the day.

When they reached the surface Sam was surprised to see nightfall 'How long did I blackout for?' she thought inwardly. Daniel must have read her mind "You were out for quite a while" he stated before heading towards his car.

"Right" She mumbled under her breath as she finished signing out and picked up her duffle bag. The journey to Sam's house was also made in silence, each of them with a million and one thoughts racing through their minds. When they finally pulled up outside Sam's house she silently gathered her things and climbed out of the car, whilst Daniel winded down the window.

"Do you want some company?" Daniel offered, not too sure that he wanted to leave after everything that had happened, he thought they should spend some time together.

"No thanks, I think I just want to be alone for a while, got some thinking to do, you know?"

"Sure you're going to be ok?" He checked one last time.

"Yeah Daniel, I'll be fine." Soldier Sam was clearly back now, having had time to lock weeping Samantha in a dark corner of her mind, at least for now. "Bye Teal'c" she said before turning up the path towards her house. As soon as the door was closed behind her and she had heard them drive away, she let her precarious walls crumble and sank down to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her head in her hands as the tears fell full force. God, it hurt so much. She felt betrayed almost, as if there was an empty space inside of her that he once filled. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, when she sat up and made her way through to the kitchen the sun had begun to set, casting a warm glow in her living room. She saw the answering machine flashing at her, informing her that she had one new message. Assuming it was Pete, but fervently hoping it was Jack she pressed 'play'.

"Hey babe, can you call me back when you get this, I can get this weekend off so let me know if you're free. Love you" It was Pete and after the days events his voice just seemed to grate against her already weary psyche, there was no way she was calling him.

And that was it. Everything just seemed to click into place and once again the tears fell, only this time from frustration and regret and guilt. Losing Jack had seemed to make her realise that not only did she love him more than she would ever love anybody else, but that also Pete had just been an escape, a comfort, a release of sexual tension, a warm body to curl up to at night. He was second best and she had settled. Don't get her wrong, she liked him a lot, he was sweet and kind and he loved her, but she just couldn't love him as much as he deserved.

It had taken losing Jack for her to realise exactly how real her feelings for her CO were. It hurt so badly because she had long since given her heart to Jack and he had given her what was left of his heart after losing Charlie and Sarah, only to take it back now and run, but for what? That was why she felt so empty; he had left a hole inside of her, which now just seemed to emanate raw pain. She hadn't felt pain like this since her mom had died.

Stalking through to her room, she climbed into pyjama pants and a camisole before climbing under the covers and curling up in a ball, as if trying to protect herself from anymore loss and pain, too exhausted after the days events to do anything but pray for sleep to come and lull her into oblivion.

(A/N: It is my mum's birthday, but I did promise you Monday at the latest so I apologise for any mistakes, it has been a hectic weekend  Love my readers, thank you so much for the support ad keep reading. I hope everyone enjoys.)


	4. Chapter 4

Running Away 4

Awaking suddenly after yet another disturbing nightmare, Sam was once again consumed by the utter exhaustion that seemed to have consumed her since finding out that Jack had left, the pain and the tears causing all of her energy to drain away. It had been a restless sleep at best. When sleep had eventually come, it had been accompanied with vivid memories of times in the past where she had almost lost Jack, like when he had gone missing with Maybourne and she had been over come with despair at the thought of never seeing him again. Or when she had seen him take a staff blast to the chest when Janet had died. She had never been more scared of losing him than when he had had the ancient's repository downloaded into his brain the second time, only to save the world again and be left in that freeze chamber at the outpost in Antarctica.

She fell back on to the bed and curled up, hugging a pillow to her chest as the dark memories running through her mind just caused even more tears to fall. It was still dark outside and her suspicions were confirmed as the illuminated clock on her bedside table indicated that it was 04:30. Pulling the covers back and wearily climbing out of bed she decided she couldn't risk trying to sleep anymore, knowing she couldn't survive anymore dark memories of losing him, the reality alone was already far too much for her weary psyche to bear.

Heading through to the kitchen, she got herself a cup of coffee and stood by the window, cradling the toasty aromatic beverage in her hands as thoughts continued to whir through her mind. She didn't know how long she stood there, letting the whole situation sink in and trying to understand why he would just quit his job and leave everything…everyone behind. She realised she must have been stood there for quite a while, if the now cold cup of coffee and the beginning of sunrise were any indication. Reheating the kettle and pouring herself another cup of coffee she went through her usual morning ritual, getting ready to head back to base. Only this time there was a distinct difference in her demeanour, the usual positive, outgoing energy about her was completely gone, replaced by an empty shell of her potential, someone having clearly suffered loss and pain recently.

After a quick shower and after quickly throwing on some jeans, a simple tank-top and her jacket she headed out the house towards the base, having once again forgotten about her coffee, her mind too busy thinking about what she would do when she got to base. She didn't think she could last a whole day, surrounded by the walls that were so familiar to her; so many memories of him came with that aspect of her life. The phenomena that were under that mountain were what had brought her and Jack together. She knew for a fact that she couldn't keep her emotions tightly under control knowing that he wasn't there and would likely not be coming back, especially under the sympathetic scrutiny of the other personnel, whom would no doubt have heard about Jack's immediate retirement. She would simply go straight to Hammond's office and respectfully request permission to have a few days off and get out of there. She had done all of her paperwork and she was sure Daniel and Teal'c would let her take as much time as she needed before getting back to work, especially after yesterday's blackout, that was certainly no state to be going on a mission in.

When she finally arrived at the base, she headed straight for the women's locker room, if she was going to be asking for a few days off she could at least make the effort of putting on her BDUs and appearing presentable. With one last glance in the mirror she headed to Hammond's office hoping that nobody would look at her too closely, it was abundantly clear she had been crying. No such luck. As she approached the elevators she bumped into Daniel and Teal'c and as much as she appreciated that they wanted to help, she just didn't think anything could help right now. She held strong though and tried her best to stay in soldier Sam mode, brushing off their concern. She did come pretty close to breaking though, as much as she hated to admit it, Daniels concerned knowing gaze had her gladly accepting the comfort he offered, which just ultimately made things harder. He gave her a hug and although he only had purely good intentions, her mind had automatically made her realise that she may never find herself wrapped up in the strong, warm, protective embrace of Jack O'Neill. That simple gesture had seriously jeopardised the already precarious foundations that her "strong" façade was built on, so she had been immensely grateful to whatever god out there that did exist for a break when the elevator arrived. She had quickly retreated into the elevator fighting back the tears so that she could go and talk with Hammond.

She took a deep, hopefully calming breath before raising her fist to knock firmly on the door, trying to build up some confidence, false though it may be. "Enter" was the typical reply and she had quietly stepped into his office standing at attention in front his desk. "At ease Colonel." Hammond said softly, instantly putting a dint in her façade when she saw the sincerely sympathetic expression on his face. She was well aware of the fact that she and Jack had feelings for each other…or at least used to, not anymore by the looks of it. She could still remember the conversation she had had with him when Jack had gone missing with Maybourne, Doctor Lee had apparently told Hammond about her "irrational" behaviour when she had discovered them packing away their equipment.

"Sir, I was told you requested to speak to me." She said as she entered Hammond's office, somewhat nervously.

"_Major, I have received a report regarding your behaviour towards Dr. Lee when you realised they were no longer continuing their analysis of the archway Colonel O'Neill and Maybourne went through." He started and she instantly cringed, she had known she had overreacted as soon as Teal'c had given her the eyebrow. She suspected Hammond wasn't finished though so sat patiently and waited for him to continue. "…Sam, I realise that you care for him very deeply and are anxious to get him back home safely, but from what I have heard it could take years for you to figure out how to work that device, and there is no guarantee that it would tell us where they were sent. We will all do our best to get him back major, you know that, but if I hear anything more about…issues that occur, I will be forced to assign someone else to lead SG1 at least until they're found. Is that understood?"_

"_Yes, sir." She replied, there was no way she was going to jeopardise losing control of the search and rescue team, she was going to find him._

"_Good. Dismissed."_

She was pulled out of her thoughts again by a knock at the door and was surprised to find Hammond stood next to her, a clear expression of concern written across his face. There was another knock and Walter stuck his head in after receiving the permission to 'Enter' "General, I have the commissary reports for you."

"Just put them on the desk, sergeant."

"Yes, sir." Walter replied, efficiently making space on the desk for the huge pile of no doubt tedious files, for Hammond to look through.

After the door closed with a quiet click, Hammond turned back to Sam, concern still evident on his aging features. She was thankful for the distraction Walter had created, affording time for her to adjust once again to her surroundings and try feebly to strengthen the walls of her façade. It seemed he already knew why she was there, his next statement stunning her into silence for several long moments; "Go and get him Sam."

She stood gaping like a fish, her mind buzzing with the implications and possible consequences of that statement, before she finally managed a slightly stuttered "Sir?"

"You didn't here that from General Hammond Sam." He said hoping she would catch his drift.

A small genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips as tears once again came to her eyes. "Thank you George." She managed around the lump forming in her throat, having clearly understood his meaning. That certainly didn't mean she didn't have her concerns though, and being Samantha Carter she just couldn't resist asking questions. "But…"

"No buts." He said firmly cutting off that line of questioning. "Nobody makes you happier than he does Sam, you know it." As he saw her about to speak again, he quickly continued; "Ah, you don't have to worry about me either, I'm not really supposed to say this but then, I have said quite a few things I shouldn't have in the last five minutes." He smiled again as a small smile again began to tug at the corner of her lips. "I want to retire, I am getting to old for all this and I want to be around to see Kayla and Tessa grow up. It's been discussed and all the relevant people at the pentagon agree that we want Jack to take over my job when I am done." He paused, waiting for the implications of what he had just told her to sink in. When she turned back to him he continued; "Sam, he wouldn't be in your direct chain of command anymore and the two of you would be free to have a personal relationship without any risk of court martial. That unfortunately doesn't mean there won't be consequences. You realise that rumours will fly?"

"I realise that sir, thank you." She couldn't really think of anything else to say, she didn't know where to start, George was giving her a way to be with Jack, that is if Jack even wanted to be with her, he had just left without saying a word to anyone. And with that realisation all he doubts and insecurities came flooding back. Clearly interpreting her expression correctly he tried to reassure her that that's all they were, insecurities.

"Sam, he wants you. Believe me." Hammond assured his intense gaze trying to point the point across even more. "I don't know why he ran, you'll have to ask him that yourself, but I know him enough that whatever the reason it was probably because of his own insecurities. Bring him back Sam."

"I'll try." She replied, and turned to leave his office heading for the locker room. She wasn't even going to go back home, she would get the spare clothes from her locker and head straight for where she knew he would be. His Cabin.


	5. Chapter 5

Running Away 5

By the time she had changed back into her civvies and made her way up to the surface, trying her best to avoid the sympathetic expressions of the personnel she passed along the way, she had had some time to think. In her distraught state over the past two days she had completely forgotten about Pete and knew that before she could try to fix things between her and Jack she had to break it off with Pete first, he didn't deserve to be cheated on. Pulling out her cell she decided to give him a ring and let him know she would be meeting him in Denver in a couple of hours. She would go to Minnesota via Denver, but she couldn't let her relationship with Pete go any further than it already had. She should have ended it as soon as Jack had been hit by the staff blast, she had almost lost him then and she had isolated herself for so long, her relationship with Pete had almost ended then. Of course he thought it was because of Janet's death, he didn't even know about Jack's near miss.

She jumped in her Volvo and headed towards Denver. By the time she arrived it was lunchtime so she rang ahead and said she would pick him up from the station so that they could go to lunch. When he suggested that they go to a café, she declined with a serious expression, clearly making him nervous.

"Sam, what's wrong? You've been quiet since you picked me up from the station."

Taking a deep shaky breath she explained; "Pete, we need to talk and I think we should go back to your place."

"Ok" He simply replied, he clearly wasn't convinced that everything was okay but he wasn't going to push and she was grateful for that.

When they arrived, he let her into the house and led them through to the lounge "What do you want to eat? We could have pasta, sandwiches, bur…" He stopped when Sam cut him off suddenly.

"Actually could we just skip lunch, I really need to talk."

"Sure" He said taking a seat next to her on the sofa.

Taking a deep cleansing breath she tried to steal herself for the upcoming conversation; "Pete, you're a great guy…more than a great guy actually." She paused waiting for some kind of response or reaction, when none was forthcoming she continued; "But…"

"It's not enough?" He finished for her.

Oh god had she been that transparent, did he know this was coming, even before she did? "No" she managed eventually in a fragile voice bowing her head. "I'm so sorry" she said finally looking him in the eye. "You deserve better, I should never have let it go this far. It's just…" She stopped abruptly, she couldn't tell him that there was someone else; technically she wasn't exactly with Jack.

"It's O'Neill isn't it." It was more of a statement than a question, so he continued, not needing a response, he knew just by looking at her that he was right. "I guess I always knew…I guess all I can say is that I hope you find what you're looking for." He said his voice becoming strained with emotion.

"Thank you." Her eyes were brimming with tears and she allowed them to fall as she hugged him goodbye. "Bye Pete." Was the last thing she said before getting up from the sofa and walking out the door…out of his life.

By the time she reached her car, the tears had once again subsided, climbing in she didn't even look back to see if Pete was there, 100 certain in her decision, and pulled out of the drive, this time heading for Minnesota and the true love of her life. Now all she had to do was decide what she was going to say when she just turned up on his door, piece of cake.

As she drove towards Minnesota and got closer and closer to the place that she had forbidden herself from visiting for years, her mind conjured up all those times she had said no to his invitations. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, no way; it's just the simple fact that she didn't trust herself. If she was honest with herself she had been in love with him for longer than even she wanted to admit. She had lusted after him since the moment they met that fateful day in the briefing room, but now it was far more. When they got the virus, that's when it started to become more for her, and then they had been lost in Antarctica and had almost died together. She had loved snuggling up to him, even though they were freezing, he still seemed to emanate warmth, he still had his distinct 'Jack' smell and the comfort he unknowingly provided is probably what kept her going for so long.

Then there had been Hathor and the trouble she had caused. She remembered waking up from the cryogenic chamber and being told that her team was dead. She didn't know whether it was because of the shock, or whether the information never really had time to sink in but she wasn't as surprised as she should have been when Jack had woken her up. Now she thought about it, she guessed that had been when she had started to fall for him. But, despite her best efforts she had just kept on falling and now she just couldn't imagine life without him. She had been so elated when he had admitted to having feelings for her during the Zatarc testing, but over all it was bittersweet. They had no choice but to lock their feelings up in that room or risk breaking up SG1. Since then the invitations had stopped and so she had never had the opportunity to say yes, not that she would have, her feelings had only gotten stronger and deeper. She dreaded to think how long it would have taken her to surrender to her feelings and jump in to bed with him if she had accepted the invitation. Not that jumping into bed with him wouldn't have been nice but at the time neither one of them were willing to risk their careers. That was a sobering thought, she knew that that's why she had never accepted his invitations, but she also knew that if she ever got a life with Jack O'Neill she would never be able to let him go, he was her 'forever' deal. And so as she approached her turn off in Minnesota she was overcome with a fear of rejection. What if she was too late? What if he didn't want her anymore?

She pulled off the motorway and headed towards the town at the bottom of the valley nearest Jack's cabin. Extremely grateful that Teal'c had given her directions, he was the only one of them that had ever accepted one of Jack's invitations, however reluctantly. That brought a smile to her face, she didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't have had his and Daniel's solid comfort and support, she would have to remember to thank them properly when she next saw them.

As she approached the town in the valley closest to Jacks house she took in her surroundings as she made her way through, towards Jack's cabin. Apparently it was another twenty-minute drive after reaching the town before she made it to his cabin. Not surprising really, he had always liked the quiet serene seclusion that came with his cabin. That was why he loved it so much, it was where he went to escape, to be alone with his thoughts and she wondered if he had ever thought about her on his trips up there. Unbeknownst to her that that was all he ever really thought about when he was up there, and Charlie of course, at least mostly, sometimes he would simply look back on memories of his life whether at the SGC or before. Like when he had come to this same cabin as a kid with his grandfather in summer and they would both sit on the dock and fish together.

Her thoughts continued as she made her way up the valley towards his cabin when she finally saw the gravel driveway up ahead she slowed down, suddenly unsure of her decision to just turn up on his doorstep. Ah hell, she had come this far she couldn't just turn back now, she already had too many regrets regarding Jack O'Neil to just make more now, it was time to fix them. And so with that thought in mind she turned up the drive and parked under a pine tree, climbing out of the car before she had time to change her mind. As she made her way towards the front door she heard voices coming from around the side of the house, one of which sounded distinctly female, and she was instantly consumed by a sudden feeling of dread. What if he had someone else? Her curiosity having gotten the better of her, she walked towards the side of the house and was just peering around the corner when Jack looked up, 'he must have heard me approach' Sam thought before she took in the brunette woman as they stepped off the patio with a couple of beers. The next thing she knew she was running, she just turned and ran towards her car as fast as she could, Jack shouting in the background as tears poured down her cheeks and she felt her heart break more and more with every step.

**Jack's POV**

He had heard the approach of footsteps as Jenny went inside to get a couple of beers and had wondered whom it could be? To say he was shocked was an understatement when he turned around to find Carter looking at him with a completely unreadable expression. He had just been about to ask her what she was doing there when Jenny had stepped out onto the patio with the beers from inside. He had turned around to introduce them only to see the back of a retreating Carter, he had been so shocked it had taken his brain a while to kick itself into gear and he had done the first thing that came to mind and shouted. It took him all of three seconds to realise that shouting wasn't going to stop her and took off at a speed that surprised even himself to catch up with her, before she had a chance to get to her car and just drive away, he wanted to know what the hell was wrong? She turns up and doesn't even say 'hello' before she is running off again.

**Sam's POV**

She didn't even think about stopping, she just wanted to get to her car and get out of there as fast as she could. She was just reaching her car when she heard the sound of footsteps in the gravel getting louder and closer, Jack was clearly gaining on her position and she just wanted to hide away and build the walls back up around her heart. "Carter!" He shouted as he grabbed her by the elbow just as she reached her car, fumbling in her pocket for the keys. When she didn't respond and was now trying to get the key in the lock he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around.

(A/N: Haha Evil chuckle, hope you liked it. I am posting two at a time now as an apology for taking so long since the last time I posted. I guess my only excuse is that it was Christmas, but anyway I hope you enjoy. I have almost finished writing chapter 6 too, which is when it starts getting good, so look out for more. Oh yeah and push that little button for me and let me know what you think  Reviews make my day. Also there were spoilers in this chapter that I forgot to mention at the beginning so I am truly sorry, if anyone was confused.)


	6. Chapter 6

Running Away 6

She couldn't look up. If she looked up he would see the pain in her eyes that she couldn't hide and the tears pouring down her cheeks uncontrolled. She had foolishly gotten her hopes up that she could finally be with him and driven all this way to be with him only to have her heart broken and discover that he was with another woman. "Carter" he said a lot more softly this time loosening his tight grip on her shoulders and bringing one hand up to try and tilt her head up to look at him. She supposed it was the concerned tone of his voice but she found herself letting him tilt her head up to look in his eyes. "God, Carter." was all he could say after he saw the raw agony in her deep blue eyes and did the only thing he could think to do and pulled her into his embrace…or at least tried to. She put her palms flat against his chest and pushed him away. Now he really was confused. "Carter?" he said his voice more aggressive this time, despite the hurt clearly evident in his deep brown eyes. He wanted to know what the hell was going on and when he still didn't get a response he tried again. "Sam, what's wrong?" he tried again this time taking a step closer. That certainly got a reaction, just not exactly what he was hoping for.

"Don't!" she snapped, her voice having come running back at his use of her first name. "Don't you dare, you don't get to call me that, not anymore." She continued, now angry more than sad. Although, she could feel the tears quickly coming back to the surface as she took in his anguished expression.

"What!" He burst out after letting her words sink in as his expression went from hurt to a thoroughly confused one. "What did I do?"

"What did you do?" she asked her voice now much calmer "You left" she said her voice cracking with emotion as she turned back around to the car and once again tried to get the key in the lock, so that now she could do the running.

"I'm sorry," he said calmly after a thoughtful pause and took the keys from her, gently turning her around. "But I don't think that's the only reason your like this, is it?" when she shook her head, he tried once again to wrap her in his arms, this time heaving a sigh of relief as she didn't protest or push him away. She willingly went this time, if only to say goodbye. "Then tell me what else is wrong" he whispered softly, his head buried between her neck and her shoulder, his arms wrapped protectively around her rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I can't" she said her voice strained from the lump in her throat. She couldn't tell him it was because she had broken up with Pete to come here for him, only to find him with another woman. The thought alone brought yet more tears to her eyes, only this time she didn't have the energy to fight them. It had been painful enough to find out he had left without saying goodbye, now it was unbearable to realise it was so that he could be with someone else that no one else even knew about. She let the tears fall and allowed him to hold her up as her legs seemed to fail and buckle beneath her, the exhaustion that came with the pain of the events of the last few days draining her of the energy it took to hold her own weight up.

"Jesus." Jack gasped as she collapsed against him in floods of tears. Luckily his training kicked in and he caught her before she hit the ground and gently lowered himself to the ground along with her, cradling her against him and letting her just release whatever had got her in this state. It was breaking his heart to see her like this and he dreaded to think what had caused it. He just prayed it wasn't him and continued to rub her back gently. When she had stopped sobbing and her tears had mostly subsided they were brought out of their thoughts as they both heard the approach of footsteps on the gravel driveway. Sam jumped to her feet as if suddenly remembering where she was and tried to revert back to 'Colonel Carter' mode desperately scrubbing at her cheeks, trying to erase any evidence of the tears she had been crying just moments before. Jack looked up, surprised by the sudden manoeuvre and got to his feet, ignoring the protest of his knees.

"Jack, I need to get going and pick the kids up from school. And by the looks of things you two need to talk so… see you later." The other women said heading to her car.

"Kids?" Sam said just as she was about to suggest that she should also leave, and then it hit her, she didn't actually know who the other woman was, she had just jumped to conclusions and ran.

"Err yeah… Sam this is Jenny my little sister, Jenny this is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter" That got their attention; it was as if everything just clicked into place.

"Your little sister?" Sam said cautiously, she wasn't going to get her hopes up yet.

Jack turned to her then with yet another confused expression on his face, he seemed to be confused a lot lately. "Yeah, why?"

"Never mind." Sam said as a huge grin split her face in two, the light coming back to her eyes and such an incredible feeling of relief overcoming her. And then it seemed it was Jenny's turn to clear her questions up.

"Carter? As in the Sam Carter?" when all Jack did was nod she continued; "Wow, it's so great to finally meet you, I have heard a lot about you over the years. Let me tell you, my brother is usually a closed book but when he gets on to the topic of you he never shuts up" Jenny laughed as she completely ignored the daggers Jack was shooting at her and Sam blushed.

Clearing his throat, Jack walked purposefully over to the two of them. "Jenny, don't you need to go and pick the kids up?" It was more of a statement than a suggestion and left no room for argument. Quickly taking the hint she turned on her heel and climbed into the family car, saying goodbye as she pulled out of the driveway.

They stood in silence for a while as they watched the car pull away, leaving the two of them in silence until one of them started the conversation to try and figure what had just happened. It seemed that was going to be Jack; "Ooookay, do, you want to explain what's going on?" he said as he turned around to face her, waving his hands animatedly, his lost expression bringing a smile to her face. " I mean did I miss something or are my reactions getting slower?" he said, resorting to his trusty companion sarcasm, not surprisingly.

"I think we should go inside Jack." Sam suggested as she waited to see if she had been too presumptuous by inviting herself into his cabin.

"Jack." He repeated, a typical O'Neill grin splitting his face, seeing that Sam was about to apologise for the use of his first name, he stopped her before it had chance to leave her mouth. "Ah! I am still totally confused, but I think I am starting to like these changes… one 50 cent tour coming up" he said as he led the way towards his cabin.

They reached the door of the cabin and it creaked on its hinges as he opened it for her, gesturing for her to go inside. The first room appeared to be the sitting area and she was instantly aware of the distinct smell, a mix of pine and fresh air and something simply Jack. The décor was simple, a couch and a couple of chairs surrounding a simple cream rug with an old authentic fireplace that clearly hadn't been used in a while, what with it being summer. The sitting area led on to an adjoining kitchen and dining room, an old slightly worn looking rug with a table and chairs on top of it. She loved the AGA that separated the kitchen and dining room; the work surfaces were dark and varnished, clearly kept in good condition. Her favourite above all though were the personal touches that Jack had added himself; photos littering the walls, including several of SG1. A dartboard hung on the far wall in the top right corner, a chessboard on the coffee table. All in all it was 'Jack', he was the human form of his cabin; rough around the edges but warm and comforting inside, it felt familiar to be there.

She was pulled out of her musings as Jack, who had been stood behind her, had now gently grasped her elbow and looked at her with a concerned expression. "Hey, are you ok? Where were you? I thought I had lost you there for a minute, you were miles away."

"Sorry"

"So what do you think?" He said with a child like grin on his face

She didn't know what to say, how could she sum up everything she thought of it? When she saw his expression start to turn anxious waiting for her response she quickly consoled him. "It's… you." Was all she seemed to be able to come up with.

"Is that a good thing?" He said light-heartedly, although he truly did want to know the answer.

"Of course."

"Good" he replied nonchalantly, heaving a silent sigh of relief, before leading the way through the sitting area to the sliding door at the back of the cabin and stepping out onto the deck. It was made of the same old tree bark that the exterior of the cabin was made of and she didn't even try to suppress a smile when she saw a barbeque in the corner. There were two uncooked steaks on the counter and she felt instantly guilty for presumably interrupting his and Jenny's lunch. "Don't worry about it." He said obviously reading her thoughts, before turning back the way he was headed and spreading his arms wide, gesturing to the expanse of water in front of him as he stood on the dock. "And this, is my infamous pond." He said with obvious pride in his voice.

"With no fish in it." Sam pointed out with a cheeky grin of her own.

"Nope" He agreed, allowing his arms to fall back to his sides and smiling back at her. "So…lunch?" he offered, waiting patiently for her reply. He still wanted to know what on Earth was going on but he thought it might go down better if they had some steak first.

"Hmm, yes please." She happily agreed, after everything that had happened she could feel how low her blood sugar was and knew she needed to get some food in her system and boost her energy for the talks to come. They had a lot of air to clear.

(A/N: I don't live in America so I don't know how long it would actually take from Colorado to Minnesota via Denver, so please ignore any unrealistic time assumptions, it just helps the story flow better this way  Hope you enjoy it, let me know, push that little 'review' button, you know you want to and plus it would totally make my day.)


	7. Chapter 7

Running Away 7

Sam sat in a seat on the grass and looked out over the pond and at the trees that surrounded her, simply taking in the serene tranquillity whilst Jack cooked the steaks on the barbeque, each of them alone with their thoughts. When they were done he called her over as he went inside to get the coleslaw and jacket potatoes from the AGA, bringing a couple of plates and cutlery with him along the way. He served everything up and they sat across from each other at the table on the deck, eating in a comfortable silence born from all their years of working together. "This is really good." Sam complimented, thoroughly enjoying the meal, by the looks of her almost empty plate.

"Glad you like it Carter." Was his response, genuinely glad that she liked his cooking.

"Sam" She corrected, scooping up the last little bits of coleslaw.

"Right, Sam" he agreed, slightly confused, still not understanding why on Earth she was here and the next thing he knew he said the question aloud, slipping past his lips unchecked. "Why are you here?" he asked abruptly and the stunned slightly hurt expression she shot at him instantly made him regret it, this was not how he had wanted to start things. "Sorry that didn't come out right."

"No it's ok, you have every right to ask." She assured, realising that he hadn't meant to sound so abrasive (?)

"Well?" He questioned when she didn't continue and just bowed her head.

"To bring you back." She said looking up at him, the determination in her eyes taking his breath away, before her words sunk in and he sagged his shoulders in resignation.

"That's not going to happen." He said simply, not looking up at her, too afraid of what he would see. He couldn't go back there, he had resigned and the air force certainly wouldn't take him back again, he had no reason to go back, Sam was with Pete and as much as he missed Danny-boy and Teal'c it wasn't worth being around Sam and knowing he could never have her.

"Why not?" She demanded, anger once again very evident in her voice.

"Because there's nothing left for me there anymore." Was all he said, looking up at her and hoping she would understand his full meaning.

"What about me?" She said timidly, braving the question she truly wanted the answer to, that she should have asked a long time ago and hoped that she would get a clear answer this time.

"Because" He said dismissively, standing up from the table and walking over to the edge of the pond. He couldn't tell her the true answer. What would be the point, she was engaged to another man and he would just succeed in looking like a fool confessing his undying love for someone that didn't return it.

"Because? That's it? Just because? You walked out on everybody in your life and all you can say is because?" Now she was angry, and walked over to stand beside him at to the waters edge, the look in her eyes demanding a proper answer. When he didn't respond, she tugged on his arm and turned him to face her. And something just snapped;

"Because your with Pete. You're not mine." He said suddenly, the expression on his face clearly showing that he had not meant to say that out loud. He didn't know whether to run or wait and listen to her response, terrified of what it would be.

Sam stood unmoving in shocked silence for several moments and still had no idea what to say. Had he just said what she thought he had said? "What?" was all she came up with, she wanted to be sure before she let herself believe that there was actually any hope for them.

Having resigned himself to the inevitable conversation he repeated his previous response, this time softly hoping she would understand the meaning in his words and not reject him and run over his heart as she ran back to Pete. "Because you're with Pete. You're not mine"

Okay now she had definitely heard him clearly and her heart did a little flip of anticipation at the implications of that statement, maybe there was hope. "I am yours." That got his attention, and he looked at her with rapt attention, anxiously awaiting the next words to come out of her mouth. "I am yours, I broke up with Pete. I couldn't marry him."

Okay, even if he was dreaming he still wanted to find out where this conversation was going, so he said the only thing that came to mind; "Why?" He still needed an explanation, but her last statement had filled him with a refreshing sense of hope.

Taking a deep shaky breath, she steadied her nerves and plunged in, hoping he wouldn't run again. "Because I didn't love him enough. Because you're the only person I have ever seen myself growing old with. Because I'm yours." She finished softly, holding his gaze and awaiting his response after she had laid everything down on the table. The truth was he didn't know how to respond, everything he had ever wanted to hear her say had just come out of her mouth and now he was speechless. He had dreamt of her saying those words for years but never of what he would say in response, believing that he would never really hear her say them. So when his eyes regained there focus and he drifted back from his dreamy reverie he realised that he must have been silent for quite some time, judging by the terrified nervous expression on Sam's face and for once he acted on what his heart was telling him, he had after all always been better with actions rather than words.

(A/N: Oooo I so want to end this chapter here but my sister has begged me not to, so you have her to thank for this;)

She saw the moment his eyes regained focus and was relieved the cogs had stopped turning in his head, now he just needed to let her know what he thought. She didn't have the opportunity to think of what he might say because he was too busy DOING.

Decision made, he threw caution to the wind and acted on what his heart had been screaming at him to do for years. Raising his hands to either side of her face he gently cradled her jaw and pressed his lips to hers, trying to make her feel everything he had felt for her over the last eight years. She had clearly been expecting him to say something and it took awhile for her to respond, she did though and boy was he relieved. He felt the moment she relaxed, the tension draining away from her as she melted into the kiss and responded with equal fervour, passionately moulding herself to his deliciously irresistible lips and wrapping her arms around his neck. His confidence boosted and incredible little tingles of sensation shot down his spine as he kissed Sam Carter. He nipped gently on her lower lip asking for entry, which she gladly granted. Opening her mouth to him she became lost in the feelings he evoked in her and her knees buckled beneath her as their tongues tangled together and he held her up. God, she loved kissing Jack O'Neill and would happily have stayed here forever, her tongue duelling with his gently, but unfortunately the pesky necessity of oxygen became an issue and they reluctantly broke apart breathing heavily. Her arms stayed around his neck, her fingers threading through the hair at the base of his neck and he kept his arms securely around her waist, where they had drifted to of their own accord. They stared into each other's eyes, letting down their walls and showing their true suppressed feelings and letting their barriers down, now that there were no regulations stopping them.

"I'm in love with you." Jack whispered, "That's why I left" Seeing the utter confusion that statement brought to her delicate features he continued; "I only want you to be happy, that's all I ever wanted but I couldn't stay there knowing that I could never have you. I tried, but with my promotion to general I barely saw you, apart from around the base when I wasn't buried in paperwork and you weren't working on your doohickeys. That's why I left, because I didn't have you, so it wasn't worth staying there."

"Then why didn't you say something when I told you about Pete proposing?" Because the regulations had held us apart for so long and I didn't know when we would be free of them. I couldn't ask you to put your life on hold with the promise of 'someday'."

"I guess I can understand that, but I still wish you had said something." She admitted stretching up on her toes and kissing him softly in assurance, god kissing him would never get old.

It appeared she wasn't the only one that agreed with that thought and as she pulled away, Jack tugged her back into his arms and kissed her deeply, like a man possessed. He wanted to mark her as his, as if that would ensure that she could never run from him, they belonged to each other now. Sam didn't seem to mind and held her ground, her tongue demanding entrance to his mouth and tasting Jack O'Neill first hand, storing this moment as a precious memory. As the need for oxygen once again became an issue they broke apart, but not for long. Jack's mouth attached itself to her neck line, sucking gently at her pulse point, bringing forth a moan from Sam, to which a smug grin was his response as he trailed hot wet kisses to her collarbone and back up across her jaw before feasting on her mouth again. Things were quickly getting heated and far past control as Sam seductively ground her hips against his, a throaty groan coming from Jack, and he opened his eyes to find her with a smug grin of her own.

"Evil." He said teasingly, smiling down at her oh so innocent expression.

"Payback." Was all she supplied as defence dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, what have I told you about giggling"

"So not sorry Jack." She said once the giggles were under control as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips incredibly close to his ear. "I love you too." Was the whispered declaration and all the air left him at once as he finally realised that he was holding his 'forever deal' in his arms and she loved him back.

(A/N: Ok I don't know whether to end it here or carry on? Let me know if you want more.)


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N: Okay I guess you could think of this as an optional chapter. This chapter is just sex and pretty graphic, so if you are in any way offended or under the age of 17 then skip to chapter nine.)

Running Away 8

After making their way inside the cabin, Jack turned back to Sam. "I want you." He said, before plundering her mouth with his tongue and pushing her up against the wall. "Then take me." Was her response as she clung to him, holding his head against her mouth as they devoured each other. Jack's hands that had been wrapped around her waist were now holding her hips in place as he pinned her between him and the wall. She moaned into his mouth as she felt his very evident desire for her. She was lost in a fog of ecstatic sensation scraping her nails down his back and tugging on his shirt to pull it free from the waistband of his pants. She delighted in the pleasurable sounds he made as her hands met his bare back and trailed enticingly round to his front, reaching up between them to undo a few of his shirt buttons near the collar before pulling it up over his head. With his shirt disposed of his lips fastened right back on to her now exposed collarbone, her jacket long since disposed of.

"Jack." Sam gasped, from her position pinned between him and the wall as he did incredible things to her body, resorting her brain to a capability of only monosyllabic words and barely coherent ones even then.

Jack was obviously too busy with his current task of devouring her neck to give an actual response, so receiving nothing other than a muffled "hmm?" in response she tried desperately to explain why she had interrupted his actions. All she could manage was a breathily spoken "bedroom." which apparently succeeded in grabbing his attention, at least for a while. His head popped up and his eyes instantly locked with hers, leaning in he softly kissed her before reaching for the hem of her top and pulling it up over her head before taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them he turned around and took in the sight before him with an appreciative gaze, as a half naked Sam Carter stepped towards him, swinging her hips seductively. When she was stood before him she looked up into his hungry gaze and failed miserably trying to suppress a grin as he expertly undid the clasp of her bra with one hand. "What?" he questioned innocently as she raised her eyebrows in a very Teal'c like fashion "Had a lot of practice have you?" He didn't respond, he just grinned some more and spun her around, gently laying her on the bed. He climbed over her, straddling one of her thighs and leaned down to take her lips in a sweet sensitive kiss that almost brought tears to Sam's eyes at the emotions pouring out of this man as they both realised what was about to happen between them. "I think we are going to have to slow down a little bit Sam if you want me to last? I have wanted this for a long time and I am not going to rush this. Are you sure you're ready?" Jack asked, his expression serious.

"I have never been more sure about anything in my life." She stated, the sincerity of her statement clearly visible as she stared into his deep brown depths. He didn't need any more encouragement and gladly fastened his lips back onto hers, pulling back after a few moments he trailed a blaze of scorching hot kisses down her neck, his tongue dipping into the hollow of her throat bringing forth a moan from Sam. God, he would never get tired of that sound. Sam couldn't believe what this man was doing to her, his hands and mouth alone had had her on the brink since they had entered the bedroom and imagining what he would make her feel when he was inside her sent a shudder down her spine straight to her clit and she pressed her thighs together trying top ease some of the pressure. That was it, enough was enough, she had had enough foreplay and was more than ready, she wanted him inside her NOW. Opening her eyes, she had the intention to make her plans perfectly clear only to gasp in surprise and arch off the bed as his incredibly talented mouth fastened onto her nipple. The already puckered tip hardened in his mouth and she swore she would come on the spot. After giving the other one equal attention, he released her and looked up into her desire filled eyes, reflecting his own expression. Okay, now it was her turn. Reaching between them she popped the button on his jeans and undid the zipper before pushing them down over his hips, sitting up as he stood from the bed and stepped out of them, revealing the tented boxers beneath. She was transfixed. "Like what you see?" He asked with a smug grin.

She looked up at him then; her already flushed skin turning a distinct shade of crimson. "Ya think." Was her response before lying back down and starting to unfasten her own jeans, that is until his hand stopped her and she looked up at him in confusion. "Let me" was his simple explanation, his intent very clear as he unzipped her jeans and slowly pulled them down her incredibly long legs, Sam raising her hips to assist him. Now with nothing but their underwear between them and Jack staring down at Sam laid out on his bed in front of him and something just snapped inside them both and they met half way as they moved to claim each other.

Sam wrapped one hand around his neck and pulled him down to her for an intoxicating kiss, the feeling of skin on skin amplifying the sensations shooting through both of them. Jack happily followed as Sam shuffled back on the bed without breaking the kiss. As they reached the pillows Jack rested his weight on his elbows and covered her with his hot, hard body staring into her eyes as he cradled her jaw and kissed her deeply, lovingly. "God I love you so much" he whispered as they separated, his voice full of emotion, proving the truth of his words. Tears glistened in Sam's eyes and she smiled her megawatt smile as she heard all she had wanted to hear for the past eight years, she wouldn't let them fall though, now was not the time to be crying. They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before continuing where they left off and Jack's hands trailed from her face softly down her sides, causing Sam to gasp as he brushed her nipples. Reaching her hips his fingers danced around the waistband of her panties before hooking his fingers inside and watching as he pulled them down her legs and threw them somewhere in the vicinity of the end of the bed. Sam was writhing subtly on the bed and he could tell she was getting impatient, so he decided to let her squirm for a while as he slowly rubbed his hands up the inside of her legs, pushing them gently apart when he reached her thighs. He smiled as he reached his goal and he could smell her arousal, watching as he slowly pushed two fingers into her. Jack's eyes widened in astonishment at how wet she was for him, no women he had ever been with had been this responsive and his cock became even harder at the thought of burying himself inside her.

"Jack," Sam moaned above him "I am more than ready…inside me…now" she panted, articulating the only coherent words left in her fabulous brain, and for once he wholeheartedly agreed. At this rate he certainly wouldn't be lasting much longer so he stepped off the bed and shed his boxers before climbing back over her and covering her body with his, placing his hands at either side of her head as he held his weight.

"Oh, shit!" he said his face almost losing all colour as his mind came to a very bad realisation.

"What?" Sam asked frantically, her voice obviously emanating panic.

Dropping his head to her chest in disappointment he mumbled his answer; "I don't have any protection."

Realisation dawned on Sam and she sighed in relief, smiling at his concern. "It's okay" she assured and continued when he looked back up at her with a shocked, if slightly hopeful expression. "I happen to know you're in perfect health and I am on the contraceptive pill" seeing the change in his expression, she knew instantly what he was thinking and quickly explained "It's compulsory for female field officers in the SGC. See, nothing to worry about"

Noting the relief in his expression she watched in fascination as his mind kicked back into gear and his deep brown pools darkened even more as his lips zeroed in on hers. The kiss was slow at first, their lips gently pressing together as their tongues stroked each other sensually until the passion quickly elevated and they kissed frantically until they break apart panting with the need for air. He locked gazes with her and kissed her softly positioning himself at her entrance as she held onto his hips. "Wrap your legs around me," he instructed and she happily complied." Staring into each other's eyes they gasped and groaned in unison as he pushed forward into her, both of them delighting in the feel of the swollen tip of his cock breaching her opening as he slid smoothly into her, her internal muscles stretching and fluttering around him. He sank all the way into her, burying himself to the hilt and he knew straight away that there was no way this was going to last long, his dick had already been weeping precum when he got her panties off, there was no way this first time would last.

"Sam I am not going to last long." He admitted his voice husky with desire.

"Then fuck me, we can make love later" she said bluntly, delighting in Jack's groan at her solution.

His heart did a little flip at the promise of next time and he carried out her solution. Lifting her legs he rested them on top of his shoulder and they both gasped as the new position allowed him to sink even deeper into her. Holding onto the headboard for leverage he began to rock against her, vigorously pounding her into the mattress as they both quickly neared the peak of ecstasy. As they both got closer the steady rhythm Jack had been building up began to falter and he reached down between her legs to give her clit some attention. Pinching it a few times and giving it a few hard strokes was enough to send her sawing to the peak of her climax and she arched off the bed throwing her head back in blissful pleasure. Seeing Sam come beneath him and feeling her walls clamp down around him was enough to throw Jack over the edge and he groaned in pleasure as his hips jerked frantically against hers emptying himself into her, before collapsing on top of her sated and happy, Sam's legs having fallen back to the bed.

When their senses finally started to come back to them, Jack gathered up enough energy to push himself off of Sam after realising that he was making it much harder for her to regain her breath with him lying on top of her. Curling right back up to her side he tenderly brushed a wisp of damp hair from her forehead and watched her drift languidly back from the peak. When she finally opened her eyes and turned to look at him and they stared lovingly into each other's eyes, neither of them able to think of any words that appropriately summed up that experience. After eight years of love they had finally consummated it and they were both speechless. Seeing that Sam's eyelids were getting heavy Jack kissed her softly on the forehead and stroked the hair back from her forehead repeatedly until she sank into a peaceful slumber. He couldn't sleep right now even if he tried and so he was more than happy to lie in bed with the love of his life in his arms and watch her sleep.

(Too graphic? I am really worried about what you will all think of this chapter so let me know what you think pretty please.)


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